What's happened
Health experts gather at the World Economic Forum to address the potential threat of Disease X, a hypothetical pathogen that could cause a future pandemic.
Why it matters
The discussion highlights the need for global preparedness and research to address potential future pandemics, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures in healthcare systems.
What the papers say
The World Health Organization and various experts emphasize the significance of preparing for a potential future pandemic, while also acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the origin and nature of Disease X.
How we got here
The concept of Disease X was first introduced by the World Health Organization in 2018, and it has since been a topic of ongoing discussion and research within the global health community.
More on these topics
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Disease X is a placeholder name that was adopted by the World Health Organization in February 2018 on their shortlist of blueprint priority diseases to represent a hypothetical, unknown pathogen that could cause a future epidemic.
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The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as "the attainment